Sissieretta Jones was a classically-trained opera singer, and one of the most popular stars of the late 19th and early 20th century stage. She was dubbed "Black Patti" after the Italian singer Adelina Patti. Her managers organized a larger minstrel stage show to tour with her, known as Black Patti's Troubadours, whose early minstrel show format later gave way to fully-formed musical comedy. SFPALM